Hospitelli

Here's my Steve Byrne panther from when he was at Invictus in Oslo.
Fresh and healed photos.

Well, I guess I'll throw my "cat" in the ring (groannnn haha). 
I'm very happy with how this turned out. The pics are of the fresh tattoo. It has healed beautifully. Done a month ago by Franz Stefanik at the Okey Doke in Toronto, ON. 
I'll toss in the before and after pics too as it was a cover up of a sad old bird. 32 years old to be exact. And, I love the line work !

TATTOO OF THE MONTH IS BACK!!! Hope we see a strong turnout on this. 
RULES:
The tattoo photos posted in this thread will be submitted for polling of Last Sparrow's Best PANTHER tattoo. This is all in good spirit and fun of course. The submission process opens on the first of the month and ends on the 20th of the month. After that there will be an open poll for one week, which will close on the 27th, and the tattoo with the most votes wins.
Your tattoo picture must be posted in this thread (both tattooers and tattoo customers can win) in order to qualify.
Include tattoo artist name & tattoo shop with your photo/post. You MUST be the one who has the tattoo or did the tattoo. It MUST be a finished tattoo It MUST fit the theme of the contest The theme of November is:
 

Finally finished the collab with Shige and Gogue last night. Did the lower burgundy chrysanthemum and my nipple, along with a few small touch ups.
 
https://www.instagram.com/p/BMBcOruDBeN/

my wife and myself got some work from Oliver Peck on Saturday (10/22) at the SFO show.
my wife got this octopus

it was put next to this  mermaid Oliver did last February ,she is working on a traditional underwater leg

and I got this on my right upper thigh,it's about 9"x8"

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Brand new today!
 
Traditional anchor with flowers by Chris Collins at Fronter Tattoo, Cardiff

@JasonTO I wouldn't worry about it at all. Tattooing is cyclical and even if that is the first time you have seen or come across that type of placement for that idea I assure you that it has been done before many times over. The challenge here is for the artist to take the same idea/placement and make it fresh and new without utilizing or biting off of the work that he has done on previous clients. In all honesty it's what makes tattoos so special. You can come across the same idea and even placement of a tattoo on a person and it will still be 100% different and unique. 

The only time I have ever felt like tapping out was the first shading session on my ribs. After having it lined out for the first session and being complimented on how well I was sitting by the artist and the shop manager I think my ego got inflated a tad bit. My next session was scheduled for three hours and it was time for shading! Going in I didn't have a good night sleep and due to traffic I wasn't able to get a solid meal in beforehand but still fetl pretty confident I'd be okay. The majority of the work was along the bottom part of the ribs and lower part of the stomach/oblique. The first 2.5 hours sucked but I was able to get thru it and then I hit that proverbial wall. Once that I happened it didn't feel like I was getting tattooed anymore but rather carved with a knife very slowly. I was so close to saying "fuck it" and cutting the session short but I was able to pull through and finish. Somehow hearing that I had only "ten minutes left" when I had about three times that had helped me out greatly. 

Thanks! I am pretty proud of powering through the end of tonight, for sure.

The only time I have ever felt like tapping out was the first shading session on my ribs. After having it lined out for the first session and being complimented on how well I was sitting by the artist and the shop manager I think my ego got inflated a tad bit. My next session was scheduled for three hours and it was time for shading! Going in I didn't have a good night sleep and due to traffic I wasn't able to get a solid meal in beforehand but still fetl pretty confident I'd be okay. The majority of the work was along the bottom part of the ribs and lower part of the stomach/oblique. The first 2.5 hours sucked but I was able to get thru it and then I hit that proverbial wall. Once that I happened it didn't feel like I was getting tattooed anymore but rather carved with a knife very slowly. I was so close to saying "fuck it" and cutting the session short but I was able to pull through and finish. Somehow hearing that I had only "ten minutes left" when I had about three times that had helped me out greatly. 

The only time I have ever felt like tapping out was the first shading session on my ribs. After having it lined out for the first session and being complimented on how well I was sitting by the artist and the shop manager I think my ego got inflated a tad bit. My next session was scheduled for three hours and it was time for shading! Going in I didn't have a good night sleep and due to traffic I wasn't able to get a solid meal in beforehand but still fetl pretty confident I'd be okay. The majority of the work was along the bottom part of the ribs and lower part of the stomach/oblique. The first 2.5 hours sucked but I was able to get thru it and then I hit that proverbial wall. Once that I happened it didn't feel like I was getting tattooed anymore but rather carved with a knife very slowly. I was so close to saying "fuck it" and cutting the session short but I was able to pull through and finish. Somehow hearing that I had only "ten minutes left" when I had about three times that had helped me out greatly. 

@JasonTO I wouldn't worry about it at all. Tattooing is cyclical and even if that is the first time you have seen or come across that type of placement for that idea I assure you that it has been done before many times over. The challenge here is for the artist to take the same idea/placement and make it fresh and new without utilizing or biting off of the work that he has done on previous clients. In all honesty it's what makes tattoos so special. You can come across the same idea and even placement of a tattoo on a person and it will still be 100% different and unique. 

@JasonTO I wouldn't worry about it at all. Tattooing is cyclical and even if that is the first time you have seen or come across that type of placement for that idea I assure you that it has been done before many times over. The challenge here is for the artist to take the same idea/placement and make it fresh and new without utilizing or biting off of the work that he has done on previous clients. In all honesty it's what makes tattoos so special. You can come across the same idea and even placement of a tattoo on a person and it will still be 100% different and unique. 

my wife got this trumpet flower/HB piece lastnight from Alycia Harr @ Classic Tattoo > Grass Valley,CA
here is a crappy pic of a great looking tattoo.
 

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The only time I have ever felt like tapping out was the first shading session on my ribs. After having it lined out for the first session and being complimented on how well I was sitting by the artist and the shop manager I think my ego got inflated a tad bit. My next session was scheduled for three hours and it was time for shading! Going in I didn't have a good night sleep and due to traffic I wasn't able to get a solid meal in beforehand but still fetl pretty confident I'd be okay. The majority of the work was along the bottom part of the ribs and lower part of the stomach/oblique. The first 2.5 hours sucked but I was able to get thru it and then I hit that proverbial wall. Once that I happened it didn't feel like I was getting tattooed anymore but rather carved with a knife very slowly. I was so close to saying "fuck it" and cutting the session short but I was able to pull through and finish. Somehow hearing that I had only "ten minutes left" when I had about three times that had helped me out greatly. 

@sister123 Yes. Fine line tattooing and micro tattoos will not stand the test of time. I say go for it if you really do want it because being that it is such a small tattoo you could always get a tattoo over it. A dagger going thru a wolf or gorillas head should cover it right up!

Those devils by Theo are outstanding!

Lil' anchor by Josh Henderson

Recieved this from Dave Cummings at the Montreal convention. He did an amazing job.

I couldn't agree more with this and will say that every session is different than the last. Sometimes I would find it helpful to chat and other times I would just listen to music trying to zone out. One of the most challenging aspects of getting your back done, besides the pain, is just how long it takes for it to come together. Your dedication to getting tattooed will be tested especially in the beginning. I remember early on I did two days back to back for a total of 7 hours and while a lot was accomplished I remember seeing what was done and thinking "Oh shit.... only another 40+ hours left." Any where else on the body you'd be on your way to either finishing a tattoo or having a really good portion of it completed but not your back. There is no instant gratification with a back piece. It is a slow, long, and painful process that you must endure. In the end though you will have an incredible tattoo and will say it was all worth it.
Just remember that it isn't a sprint but a marathon. Go at a pace that is comfortable for you and a session length that you know you can handle. In my honest opinion, the extreme session length times are not needed unless you are traveling far to get tattooed or the artist is doing guest spots. Long sessions are not only taxing on you but the tattoo artist as well! 4 hours is a good session length especially for the back. Also... forget about the hours or the money spent. I don't keep track of it because it serves no purpose to you in the long run. Once it is done, it's done and you will not have to worry about it ever again. Just keep chipping away and eventually it will all come together. If you ever find yourself tired and needing a break, please do so.

Started this in January (i posted the lines here before)... this is 5 sessions in w/ 2 hrs each time. Again, I want to thank the LST community for leading me to Jason Brooks -- I could not be happier w/ the results :D

I posted an update in the Initiation forum, but realized it isn't as widely seen. Here is a condensed version:
Session 3 on the dragon sleeve is done. I went in thinking we would color it in and I'd be done or nearly done. Nope! 5.25 hours of green and red. In the ditch. Ouch.
April:

May:

Last week:

I'm very happy with it so far, but dying to get the final touches of detail into the dragon.
I count 120 cherry blossom pedals all the way around. Given that 2 min each average is four hours, I'm doubting we will even finish next time.

@Intomyskin You will be fine.  I am a brewer which is a physically demanding job (on my feet all day, lifting 55lb malt bags, climbing in and out of brewing vessels, many many flights of stairs, etc)  and I was working the day after many sessions without issue.  It was nice if I could get tattooed on a Friday or Saturday to have that weekend off but it's not necessary.  The day after one session I took a five or six hour train ride and, again, it was fine.  Same thing with aftercare.  The day after my final back session my wife went into labour and my child ended up in the NICU for a couple of weeks so I healed my back sleeping on hospital couches and maybe taking one shower a day.  No problems with healing. You're overthinking things.

So I wasn't expecting another large scale piece. But Steve Byrne loved my basic idea, and I DID specifically tell him, apparently, quote "go nuts". 
I am a wreck this morning kids.

Link to video: